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September’s Peek into Curriculum

As the barest beginnings of Autumn weather bring a crispness to our mornings at Rose Rock, the teachers are deepening the educational journey for the children with new learning experiences. Please enjoy discovering what we were busy with during the first full month of school–September. 

Miss Varasteh – Grades 1 and 2

Learning Letters through Stories 

In introducing letters for the last several weeks (capital letters for the first time for first graders and lower case letters for the first time for second graders), the first and second graders have heard a variety of stories–some about saints and some fairy tales. Hearing these stories allows the children to live deeply into the imagery of the tales and then recognize letters that are represented in the drawing on the chalkboard. From there, the children practice the specific sounds each letter makes, practice writing the letters properly (on the chalkboard, on their friends backs with their fingers, on the floor with their feet, and finally on paper), guess which “family” the lower case letters belong to, re-enact the story with silks as costumes, model beeswax figures from the story, draw images for their main lesson books, and take it further with tongue twisters for each letter. Some particularly challenging tongue twisters are below; ask your first or second grader to teach you one!

Sixty-six sick chicks.

Which wrist watches are Swiss wrist watches? 

Any noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster most!

Mr. Coady – Grades 3 and 4

Deepening the concepts of Math and Money

The Third and Fourth Grade are currently enjoying their first math block of the year. Mathematics always entails ample review and practice, as well as the introduction of new material. Therefore, the students are exploring a new circular arrangement of the typically square times table in order to strengthen their fundamentals, and they are also engaging in daily practice of math facts as well as vertical algorithms for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The new material for this block relates to money. Using math to work with money comes easily for the children so long as their arithmetic is sufficiently strong. However, simply teaching how to manipulate monetary figures would omit important aspects of how we can experience stability, wealth, and poverty. In addition to money, people also exchange material goods by sharing, gifting, investing/borrowing, and bartering. We experience each of these gestural qualities in our daily interactions, and they can also be observed as major social phenomena. A few simplified examples:

• Sharing is expressed in mathematics by averaging, and has redistributive aspects that can be found in certain economic theories (the latter of which are not discussed at this age).
• Gifting is something that changes with time. The young have relatively little means by which to give materially to others, though they tend to receive many physical gifts. As we age, we have the ability to give more materially, and we tend to receive fewer physical gifts than we did in childhood. However, it is interesting to consider how, as we age, we (hopefully) become increasingly adept at recognizing the plethora of immaterial gifts that we receive. Our children are experts at giving these sorts of gifts!
• Bartering is a good way to use a surplus of one commodity to support a deficit in another one. However, there can be uncertainty as to the fairness of such exchanges. We may turn to the question, “Were my needs met?” as a means of evaluating the outcome.
• Buying and Selling uses currency as a universal exchange unit. Interactions between buyers and sellers tend to be short. If the buyer doesn’t wish for a refund, then both parties tend to be satisfied. 
• Borrowing and Lending are longer term relationships in which both parties hope for the same outcome — success for the borrower and thus the lender.

Miss England – Grades 3 and 4 Handwork; Grades 1 and 2 Therapeutic Arts

3rd/4th Grade Handwork

Since the beginning of the year, the students have been practicing the craft of embroidery – the technique of decorating fabric with a needle and thread. Our first order of business was to learn some basic stitches – running stitch, back stitch, chain stitch, and blanket stitch – and build confidence by working on a piece of practice felt, which we turned into a small pouch with a hand sewn button. A second pouch is now in process, one that is more intentionally created by the students, in that they are familiar with the stitches and can plan ahead for how they want to decorate their pouches. Embroidery, like most handwork crafts, requires patience and perseverance and the students continue to demonstrate an increase in these traits from week to week. They even ask to do handwork at recess! 

1st/2nd Grade Therapeutic Arts

Welcome to the Rose Rock Wildlife Refuge! These are the words the children have heard the past six weeks after we gather in a circle to begin our Therapeutic Arts class. The wildlife refuge is the overarching narrative that guides our exploration of the developmental movement patterns of the human being. We (all humans) use some combination of these patterns for any given task throughout the day. In Therapeutic Arts class, we isolate the patterns and move through them, while pretending we are animals in the refuge. Practicing them in this singular way helps re-organize developmental patterns, thereby strengthening the central nervous system.

After we identify some snakes we “see” on the refuge, we begin with breathing – in deep through our noses and hissing out through our mouths like snakes. Our breath is the best tool we have for self-regulating and changing the state of our nervous system; lengthening the exhale has a calming and grounding effect.

The next animals we spot are bears and crabs. I play the glockenspiel as the children lumber around like bears with only their hands and feet touching the floor. When the music stops, they begin scurrying like crabs, again with only hands and feet touching the floor. Several rounds of this facilitates naval radiation, the movement of all limbs simultaneously away and towards the center of the body.

As we spot cats and cows, we do the standard yoga poses for these creatures, with the goal of getting our head and tail communicating with each other. (Yes, we have a tail – or the remnants of one!) This kind of spinal movement is needed for strong sitting and weight-shifting skills.

A storm comes to the refuge and the children root down through their legs like trees – not moving their lower half – while their branches blow all over the place. I toss Lincoln logs into the circle while this is going on and, when the storm stops, the branches still (arms straight out at shoulder level) and the children pick the logs up with their feet and return them to the drawer. This movement of one half of our bodies, while the other is anchored, is called homologous, and is the type used when playing an instrument, writing, drawing.

We wrap up our time on the refuge with an African song, “Ayele,” a group handclap game, that encourages crossing of the vertical midline and mobility of the radius and ulna muscles, all of which are necessary for efficient writing, drawing, painting, etc. It is certainly a ton of fun! Feel free to create a wildlife refuge in your home – there are plenty of animals who need a safe place to roam and play!

Mama Christina – Early Childhood

The Beginning of Autumn

Through the month of September we have begun our Tuesday bread making: kneading, folding a little flour, folding again, rounding into rolls the yeasty dough Mama Arielle mixes up for us. Along with this craft activity on Tuesdays, we share a Bread Circle, enthusing our work and preparing us to love our lunch:

Verse:

Farmer, is the harvest ready?

For we must have bread.

“Go and see my fields of wheat,”

is what the farmer said.

So we ran and saw wheat

standing straight and tall

“There’s your wheat,” the farmer said.

“Have no fear at all.”

Miller, is the flour ready?

For we must have bread.

“Go and see my sacks of flour,”

is what the miller said.

So we ran and saw the flour

All soft and white as snow,

“There’s your flour,” the miller said,

as we ran to go.

Mother, is the oven ready?

For we must have bread.

“Open wide the oven door,”

is what our mother said.

So we went and saw the loaves

crisp and brown to see.

“There’s your bread,” our mother said,

“ready for your tea.”

Song:

Blow, Wind, Blow.

And go Mill, go,

That the Miller may grind the corn,

That the Baker may take it 

And into bread bake it,

And bring us a loaf in the morn,

And bring us a loaf in the morn.

Verse:

The silver rain, the shining sun, 

The fields where scarlet poppies run,

And all the ripples of the wheat

Are in the bread that we do eat.

So when we sit for every meal and say a grace,

We always feel,

That we are eating Sun, and Rain, 

and Fields where scarlet poppies run.

Autumn Blessing:

For the golden sun, and the apples on the tree,

For the golden butter and the honey for our tea,

For fruits and nuts and berries that grow beside the way,

For birds and bees and flowers, we are grateful every day. 

So how does a craft like bread-making—a craft which lands in our tummies and is tied to our work and companionship—build higher order thinking skills, body competence, social skills and inner chemistry that fosters learning? Bread-making accomplishes this in three ways: Reverence, Relevance, and Repetition.

Reverence: If you have studied learning theory, then you have an awareness that humans do not hang onto information if they are anxious when trying to learn. We see this hijacking of learning capacity if the skills, information, or environment are not accompanied with calm and love and humor. Making bread, on the other hand, is a relaxing and reverential activity that travels multiple neural pathways–building listening attention, multi-step direction following, fine motor specific technical manipulation, internalization of verses, songs, vocabulary, and development of social acumen. In other words, this type of learning is gently integrated across the physical, social, cognitive, and spiritual domains. Because the learning is embedded in reverence for the farmer, for the sun and rain, for Millers and Bakers and Mothers, and for our own capable hands as we work, the craft/activity holds an importance which lives in long-term learning.

Also, in learning theory, relevance is a key factor. If we hope for children to build positive feelings for school, for learning, for language (how it feels in the mouth, sounds in the ear, as well as creates visual images), for food, for work, for community, for wellness, and of course for self-efficacy, then we give them relevant ways in which to learn and grow. When we are successful in the making of bread, then we eat our lovely rolls for lunch!

Repetition, with variation and complication, allows the learning to transfer to long- term memory. And, because each time we make rolls we have new stories to share (a different sort of windy day, or the light changing, or a new baby at home) and new types of bread to make with each other (round rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.), those neural pathways become ever more complex. Of course, looking ahead, when your child is able to help and then autonomously make the bread for Thanksgiving gatherings, these first bread making activities, skills, and experiences will be holding them; so, even if it’s the teen years and the world is a mess, there will be a peace seated in the bread-making learning.

I have only touched on some of the complex ways that a craft like bread-making fosters higher order learning across domains; though, I could go on and on. I would like to close by expressing that, though I am giving you a shorthand picture of the curriculum, I do not describe “the whys” with the children. The children are simply immersed in the wonderful bread-making experience, as a vocalization of the intention behind the bread-making would add the anxiety that I am purposefully avoiding in teaching through such a calming and integrating activity.

I hope you love Autumn as much as I do.

Coming from the warm colors, 

Christina

Chef Ariel – Grades Cooking Classes

The Will for making Dragon Bread and the Delicious Simplicity of Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

Hello from the Kitchen, Rose Rock Family! What a lovely month we have shared! The 3rd and 4th grade students processed the wheat which they lovingly grew last year. They used this flour to create the most magical dragon breads for the celebration of Michaelmas. The 1st and 2nd grade students shared in the milling of the wheat and helped to create a natural sourdough starter which we intend to use for many years to come. We have created some simple and tasty snacks, including forest bites and the simplest super healthy and affordable (the 3rd & 4th grade cost them out at $3.50 for a batch of 12) jelly thumbprint “cookies”. I have included the recipe below; they are wonderful for even the teeniest of helpers! 

• 2 cups rolled oats (quick oats would probably work as well)
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 very large)
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• About 10 -12 teaspoons jam

-Preheat oven 350°.

-In a blender or food processor, blend the oats into a coarse flour, some larger pieces are good. 

-Mash bananas, add flax, salt, cinnamon and oats. 

-Scoop 12 onto tray, make a little nest for your jelly in the middle of each cookie and fill with jelly. 

-Bake for 10-12 minutes, best served warm.Enjoy!!!!!  

Miss Ellis – Therapeutic Painting for the Grades 

Deepening the Understanding of Color Gradients

1st and 2nd Grades
Emphasis is placed on experiencing the qualities of color while painting with watercolors on wet paper. The students are fond of getting a surprise in the last 5 minutes where they can bring color into form, and they seem amazed by the beauty they can create. All of September they worked on the meeting of yellow and blue, where blue steadily drew nearer to yellow. They are learning to observe and assess their own paintings, and they are all eager to participate in those discussions.

3rd and 4th Grades

They are growing in color and learning to bring form into their painting. They finished a Michael and dragon painting for the Michaelmas Festival. They are also learning how to bring about a color mood. Their first assignment was to bring an autumn mood and paint a tree with falling leaves. They are as well learning to see which paintings are the best representatives of the given assignment and are eager to express their personal viewpoints.

The Rose Rock teachers wish everyone a beautiful Autumn break.

Warmly,

Ashley Thomas

Aftercare Grades Teacher

The children are settling into the rhythm of their school days with joy and enthusiasm, as the Rose Rock teachers bring a wonderment of subjects and activities to their students. Each month the teachers will send out a peek into the curriculum so that you may have a glimpse into the enriching experience of your children’s classes. Each peek will feature several teachers describing the beautiful ways their classes create fulfilling educational opportunities for the students. Please enjoy our first peek into the curriculum for the school year! 

With Gratitude and Warmth,

Ms. Ashley Thomas

First and Second Grade—Miss Varasteh 

The first and second grade have had a lovely few weeks together, uniting as one whole class. Focus on bodily integration has challenged the students in the form of jumping rope and playing hopscotch; the daily improvement is remarkable! These endeavors make way for the students to practice form drawing which helps to orient themselves in space and on a page, as they begin to practice beautiful handwriting, which will segue right into learning to write letters and numbers. All began with an emphasis on the straight line and curved line, by stepping slowly and carefully while singing:

“I woke up one morning

As small as small can be

I walked across the spider’s web

Stretched out in front of me

I did not wake Miss Spider

I did not harm her web

I paced across the silver thread 

And followed it home again.” 

For the second graders, they have been challenged with imagining every form’s mirror image and trying to create them on paper, while also proving to be stellar examples for their newer classmates.  

Spanish–Ms. Moreno

Grade school students have been exposed to Spanish for the first time at Rose Rock. Our class is full of songs, games, poems and stories through which children experience the rhythms and tones of another culture, cultivating their interest and respect for others. As an introduction to Spanish, we have been building basic conversational skills through games and songs. They have been learning to introduce themselves and tell how they are feeling (sad, happy, calm, angry, scared, well). Children are eager to participate and learn, and they vocalize, move their bodies, and follow the rhythm of songs from the very first time they hear them. They are proud to say “Buenos dias señorita Moreno, cómo estás?” with enthusiasm when they enter the classroom, and even when they see me around the school. We are enjoying the learning and the spontaneous heart warming hugs.  

The first and second grade students have been listening to classic stories narrated in Spanish using finger puppets. Through these stories they relate and learn vocabulary, particularly the name of colors and animals. When they heard the story of Los Tres Cerditos (Three Little Pigs), their eyes were so open and focused that I asked them for the first time “Soplen!” (Blow!), and it was a true joy to see all of them follow the instruction without hesitation, as they helped the wolf bring down the house made of straw, and later the house made of sticks. The third and fourth grade students have been playing traditional Hispanic games such as Loteria (bingo with pictures), which is helping them learn vocabulary through imagery, while practicing the pronunciation of colors, places and objects.

Therapeutic Painting– Ms. Ellis 

First and second graders in painting class experienced the dialogue between red, yellow and blue in a color exercise. They are now working on a color experience for yellow which has a sunlike archetypal gesture that radiates out from the center while they are connecting with the cheerful, lively and stimulating feeling that yellow brings. Stem cuttings were taken from an edible ornamental purslane with yellow flowers for the memory connection to gladness. Please help your student with planting this plant after roots are formed (5-10 days). The plant thrives outside but likes to come inside during winter months once freezing temperatures are reached.

Third and fourth graders painted hearts of Lucifer and hearts of Michael for their upcoming Michaelmas play. They experimented with painting skills for making an even flat surface where they connect with the relaxed feeling realm by evenly breathing in and out. They are now working on an assignment that asks for a yellow gradation that is lighter above and darker below (4 gradations). Stem cuttings were taken from an edible ornamental purslane with yellow flowers for the memory connection to gladness. When the plant comes home it will thrive outside but love to come inside during winter months once freezing temperatures are reached.

Aftercare Grades Program—Ms. Thomas

In aftercare, the grades students are enjoying our dramatic arts and pantomime games unit. These activities teach many aspects of performance and allow the children to practice their “stage presence,” this in turn supports the grades teachers as they prepare for their class plays. In this unit the children are growing in their abilities to be supportive and attentive audience members, as their peers perform. The pantomime work brings a deepening sense of spatial recognition and imagination to the students. Our class is full of joyous laughter and smiles as the children engage their wills to perform for the aftercare class.

Early Childhood—Mama Monica

In Mama Monica’s class we are getting used to the new rhythm of starting our day inside. Students have embraced with zeal the meaningful tasks we are rotating through. It is a delight to see the sense of satisfaction and confidence the children have while cleaning tables and chairs after eating, sweeping after craft, and waxing wooden toys. The most popular Circle song so far is If I had a Windmill. The children enjoy the big movements and are mastering their duck flaps and quacks! September 1st was a rainy, indoor day so, in addition to chopping vegetables for snack, the children also learned to make twizzles, a twisted rope. 

Early Childhood—Mama Shanah & Mama Jennifer 

For these first few weeks, we have been concentrating on learning the rhythm of our day and becoming acquainted with each other. Each morning we begin with householding activities like folding laundry and ironing. Next, we move into other domestic arts or creative arts. So far, we have explored freeform coloring, chopping vegetables for snack, hand washing the dolls’ clothes and mending those that needed care, plus brightening and smoothing our wooden blocks with homemade beeswax polish. Around the domestic and creative arts there is playfulness alternating with focused attention, and freeplay seamlessly connects the activities. Next, it is time for the stillness of Story. I have begun with puppet shows because handmade puppets have a magical and magnetic quality, and they gain the rapt attention of even small wiggly children. We are enjoying “Mary had a Little Lamb” at the moment, which tells a wonderful tale of going to school and also demonstrates the virtues of kindness. After Story, we eat a delicious snack and go outside to play and also to care for the goats. The children are led through a seasonal Circle which includes songs, verses, and gestures just before we sit down to lunch outside. I demonstrated our end-of-summer Circle at the parent orientation. We will continue to enjoy this summer circle for another week before moving into Autumn themes. I have shared all of the Story verses with you, plus one of the songs from Circle. 

Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.

And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned him out, but still he lingered near, 
and waited patiently about ’til Mary did appear.
Then, he ran to her and laid his head upon her arm,
as if to say I’m not afraid, you’ll keep me from all harm.
“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”, the eager children cried.
“Well, Mary loves the lamb you know,” the teacher did reply.
“And you each gentle animal in confidence may bind,
and make it follow at your will, if you are only kind.”
Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.